To shine a light on the college admission process and common procedures, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has started a new College Admissions Decoded podcast series.
The series examines the inner-workings of the admissions process and discusses how college access and admissions in the U.S. can continue to progress towards greater inclusivity, transparency, and service to students.
The first episode, “College Admission After Operation Varsity Blues,” was released on Tuesday. The episode features Stefanie Niles, NACAC president and vice president for enrollment and communications at Ohio Wesleyan University, Angel Perez, vice president for enrollment and student success at Trinity College, and Jim Rawlins, assistant vice president of enrollment management at the University of Oregon.
“At a time when only 38 percent of Americans consider the admission process to be fair, we hope the podcast series will shed light on how well, in most cases, the process actually does work,” Joyce Smith, NACAC CEO, said. “College admission professionals, counselors, students, parents, and the general public all should find value in this lively, informative conversation.”
Earlier in March, the U.S. Department of Justice uncovered a national college admissions scandal in which 50 people were charged, including famous Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin, for allegedly paying bribes to get their children accepted into top higher education institutions. The scandal involved 33 affluent parents, nine college athletic coaches, two SAT/ACT administrators, one exam proctor, and one college administrator.
Last week, a federal court sentenced Stanford University women’s sailing team coach John Vandemoer to one day in jail, six months of home confinement, two years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine for his involvement in the scheme.
Additional College Admissions Decoded episodes will be released throughout July and August.